Prologue: An Accidental Adoption

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. But there was one in my bar that day.

I noticed him immediately as I returned to The Longing Magpie; he was sitting at the table furthest from the door, in a dark corner usually occupied by shady characters waiting for plucky young adventuring parties to stumble into their ill-fated quests. I should know - I had hauled more than one terrified group out of caves, crypts, and various dungeons when I was in my prime. When we made eye contact, he quickly looked away and pulled the oversized basket sitting on the table next to him into his lap, stowing it underneath his chair for safekeeping.

"Where have you been?" Petra asked as I walked behind the bar to kiss her cheek. I shrugged, still keeping an eye on the stranger. This conversation had started many a fight since Petra and I had bought the bar, and I had learned to choose my words wisely.

"Just taking a walk. The bounty for dragons just went up - 250 gold for every one delivered to the Emperor's Lands alive." I raised my voice a little, watching the stranger for his reaction. He shifted uncomfortably, pushing the basket even further underneath his chair. The longer I looked at him, the more I was certain that he was a dragon.

His face was pretty normal, as faces go - roguish and handsome, no different from any other vagabond coming through here. That glamour had probably fooled hundreds of normal folk that he'd met along whatever journey he'd made to get there, but it wasn't good enough to fool a veteran adventurer. I could see the light reflecting off of his eyes when he turned his head, iridescent like a cat's. To confirm my suspicion, I watched his chest where his loose shirt fell open. If I didn't blink for a minute or two, I could see the shifting pattern of flames moving underneath his flesh, the deadly ichor that created his flaming breath mixing and bubbling away in his belly. He cupped his left hand possessively over a small stack of coins, likely more for comfort than for trade. Dragons are lousy customers; they never buy anything.

"Checking the job board again, Lyssa? If you're so hungry for a little adventure, we could go mushroom hunting in the forest later. Or I have a garden that needs weeding if you need to feel like it's work." Petra bumped me playfully with her hip as she turned to put the clean tankards away, and I felt a rush of affection for her. Being a lesbian couple in a backwater bog town like this had been difficult, but spending all of my time with her made everything worth it.

"I just like knowing what's going on in town, that's all. If this town is going to be crawling with Hunters, I want to know about it," I said. The last thing I wanted was a battalion of lumbering sellswords destroying my beloved Longing Magpie Tavern - Petra and I had pooled the last of our gold from our final adventure to buy the place, and it had become our oasis. I would kill any Hunter that so much as made the floor creak. And I would kill any dragon that brought them there.

"Please don't get into fights with any Hunter crews, OK? The Guard will arrest you without a second thought." Petra put her warm hand on my arm, and I melted a little inside. There was once a time where I would have brushed her off and hauled that dragon out of the bar by the scruff of his neck, bolstered by the sword on my back and the potential of gold in my purse. Now, I had better things to do. And more things to protect.

"I'll handle it, Petti, don't worry," I said.

"Barmaid! Four tankards, please," a man shouted from the doorway. As though they could sense my anxieties, a group of mercenaries entered the tavern. They weren't with the Guard, but they were definitely together - each wore the same uniform of plain half-plate with green cloth accents and a white handprint stamped on the breastplate. The hair on the back of my neck stood up - something wasn't right.

The group made straight for the table where the dragon was sitting, spreading out to cover potential paths of escape. I was surprised that they hadn't brought any heavy equipment - disguised dragons might be weaker and more reluctant to use their abilities for fear of being discovered, but they were still stronger and faster than a human. Most Hunters would bring lances and halberds, perhaps a few enchanted items to make transporting their prisoner to the Emperor's Lands easier. I had even seen a couple with full-sized Reliquaries, designed to contain a disguised dragon in an enchanted sleep for the entire journey. These people didn't have any of that - did they really intend to take down a dragon with nothing but the swords on their backs?

"Peace be with you, friend." The mercenary that appeared to be the leader straddled the chair across from the dragon while his companions leaned against the thin partition walls that separated the booth from its fellows. The dragon shifted in his seat, leaning back as though he was trying to get as far away from the men as possible.

"I... I do not think we've met." The dragon's voice was low and husky, filled with the promise of a growl. I leaned against the bar and laid my hand on the hilt of my sword, concealed for moments exactly like this one.

"Perhaps not. But I think you and I would get along. In another life. Unfortunately, we have less pleasant business with you today." As the leader spoke, his companions drew their swords, each taking a step towards the dragon. He sprang up from his chair suddenly, making the table shriek as he pushed it a few inches across the floorboards.

"I will not let you take me to that place!" he shouted, voice booming in the small space. Petra took a step backwards and I moved to shield her, pulling my sword from underneath the bar.

"Stay here. Stay down, don't provoke them," I whispered, pushing her further behind the bar before addressing the strangers.

"I think it's time that you all left my tavern. Conduct your business elsewhere." I stepped out from behind the bar, keeping my blade lowered but primed to strike. The Hunters turned to look at me - the companions looked a bit nervous at the sight of me, but the leader just smirked.

"I wouldn't interfere if I were you. This is about to get messy, and I would hate to mess up this lovely little tavern of yours." He grinned at me, almost daring me to make the first move. For a moment, everything was quiet - each person in the room sized up the others, making battle plans, evaluating escape routes.

Out of all of them, I would never have expected the dragon to make the first move. But before I knew it, he was lobbing a small bottle into the center of the room; as the glass shattered, thick smoke billowed out of it and congealed into darkness, cloaking everything as though he'd thrown a thick blanket over the sun. One of the companions shouted in surprise as I struck out with my sword - I felt my blade bite into flesh and get caught there, just for an instant. Somewhere further into the room I could hear a scuffle, grunting and growling like the other two Hunters were trying to restrain the dragon before he escaped. For a minute, I didn't know what to do - whose side was I on?

The spell that had created the darkness must not have been that potent, because it started to wear off just a few minutes after the dragon threw the bottle. As my vision started to adjust, I could make out the tangled forms in the middle of the floor. The leader of the Hunter crew was standing over the dragon, pinning him to the floor with a sword in his shoulder. His blood was dripping onto the floorboards, sizzling and fizzing against the wood as the acid burned right through. The other Hunter was on the floor behind them, holding onto the dragon's legs as though his life depended on it.

"I told you - this is unpleasant business, but if you cooperate, we can make it a bit more comfortable for you. All you have to do is tell us where it is." The leader leaned on his blade, pushing it deeper into the dragon's shoulder. The dragon writhed and kicked against his captors, clawing at the floorboards in his attempts to get free.

"Kill me if you want. I'm not going to tell you," the dragon snapped, finally bucking the second Hunter off of his legs. He surged upward towards the Leader, but the man grabbed him by the throat, holding him steadier than I had ever seen a human hold a dragon. Light started to gather under his palm - all too familiar light.

Paladins. I hate paladins.

I jumped forward, ready to take a swing at the Leader, but something struck my back and knocked me to the floor. The Hunter that I'd managed to hit with my sword in the dark was on top of me, struggling to get me pinned.

"Don't...get... involved..." he grunted as he tried to grab my wrists. I could feel my shoulders and hips screaming under his weight - I was getting too old for fistfights.

"Get the fuck out of my bar," I growled, bracing my elbows against the floor and surging upward with all of my strength. I bucked the Hunter off of my back and struggled to my feet, determined to deal with this, one way or the other.

I never got the chance. No one could have been fast enough to stop what happened next.

Just as the Leader released his spell against the dragon's neck, the dragon let loose a burst of green flame from his throat, shooting a jet of it so high that it caught the ceiling. The explosion threw me backward, propelling me through the corner table and into the wall behind it. The fire kept coming, wreathing the Leader in noxious green light, a screaming effigy. The floor around him was alive with fire - for a moment, I was convinced that we'd been transported into the pit of hell.

"Run!" Petra appeared above me, leaning over the remnants of the table with her hand outstretched. I dragged myself towards her, pushing the remnants of the table out of my way.

That's when I heard the cry.

"What is that?" I shouted at Petra over the roar of the flames.

"I don't know! We need to go, Lyssa, hurry!" she shouted back, straining to reach me. As I crawled toward her, my foot struck something - the basket that the dragon had stowed underneath his chair. I heard the sound again, shrill and unmistakable.

When I dragged the basket towards me and yanked off the lid, there was a baby inside.

It wasn't human - I could see silvery scales dappled all along its limbs and face, flashing in the firelight. When it opened its mouth to scream, there were already sharp teeth peeking from its gums. It was tiny, helpless. Whatever it was, it was definitely illegal.

The walls of the bar were starting to crumble - I could feel the heat starting to sear the hair on the back of my arms and neck.

“Lyssa, we have to go!” Petra bellowed, grabbing my arm. I looked down at the baby, still screaming in its nest.

Life was going to be hard for it. There was no way that the Emperor would let it live if he knew it existed. It would have been a mercy to leave it in the burning bar.

Lucky for it, I had never been one for mercy.